"Dissident" still being pushed...remember: THEY CONTROL DEBATE/OPPOSITION

[EMunster]

...THROUGH LANGUAGE. They beat us every time through the message, and this is how.

We still need to nip "dissident" in the bud.

Several great threads covered this over the last couple of days (links at bottom). Letters were written. Editors seemed to comply...but today it's back again.
December 14, 2004

Court asked to review Ohio vote

Associated Press

COLUMBUS, Ohio - The Ohio delegation to the Electoral College cast its votes for President Bush on Monday, hours after dissident groups asked the state Supreme Court to review the outcome of the state's presidential race.

http://www.billingsgazette.com/index.php?tl=1&display=rednews/2004/12/14/build/nation/60-ohio-vote.inc

to reemphasize...

As has been noted,dissident's sudden appearance the other night(can anyone find the first use?) wasn't an accident. It strikes the ear a little funny for a reason -- it characterizes us in a way that's just not right...marginalizing us, coloring and blurring our motivations, purpose, etc.

Some might not mind the term; may even thrill at it...being placed in the tradition of Andrei Sakharov, Noam Chomsky, Alexander Solzhenitsyn, and Nelson Mandela, as the linked article below mentions. But we really have to be aware of the heavy minority, minority, weak, lone voice connotation this word implies. Romantic and rebellious, sure, but it comes with a huge downside. Be aware of the "frame" this creates if we let this pass. More middle-of-the-road readers are going to be willing to sympathize/identify with the concerns of a "challenger" than a dissident.

From Wikipedia.

A dissident is a person that actively opposes the established order. The term is most often used to refer to political dissidents, usually against oppressive regimes. Political dissidents usually refer to non-violent means, which can range from voicing criticism of the government to attempts to displace or overthrow the established government by achieving popular support and sparking a revolution. In totalitarian regimes these dissidents are often punished with lengthy prison sentences or execution. Similarly, social dissidents openly oppose accepted social attitudes. In democratic societies political and social dissidents are supposed to be free from government pressure, but there have been noted instances of persecution, such as the witch hunts in the United States for communists in the 1950s.

Who was the first reporter to use this term? I think he should be challenged as to why. To be a dissident has more of a "lifestyle" connotation of just dissenting...an antiestablishment way of life, and NOT regular citizens roused to anger and protest because of a particular offense. As mentioned before, it's asssociated with foreigners, etc...ever-dissenting French. In other words, Rush would/does(?) use the term, and you know exactly why. Would the writer ever have used "dissent" to describe one of the anti-clinton conservative a groups? We've all been on the lookout for what Roves first move would be in relation to the fraud allegations -- this is it.
link:
http://www.yourencyclopedia.net/data1/en/wikipedia/d/di/dissident.html

previous threads:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x150243
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=203&topic_id=145341&mesg_id=145341

[jamboi]

1. I posted on this earlier. While its been corrected, many already had earli

er version. It had already been sent. I'm okay with challengers. Not okay with dissidents.

[Clark2008]

11. Next, we'll be called "insurgents."

eom

[Liberty Belle]

2. Who is the owner/CEO at AP? WE should start there.

Also calls to the AP executive offices, if someone can find a number.

Are any other media outlets originating stories with the term dissident, or are they all just republishing AP wire stories?

[old blue]

4. When you find out who runs AP, it will make sense

I can't remember where I read it recently (probably here), but the man pulling the strings at AP is a verifiable Bushie.

[WhoWantsToBeOccupied]

15. Any Beverly Kees connection?

One of the respected journalists who died Friday, Beverly Kees, "had also served for the Associated Press Managing Editors Association as committee chair, board member and secretary." Kees was killed by a truck, apparently while in a crosswalk.

[magellan]

3. I think your second DU thread

...the one with the article by AP reporter John McCarthy (aptly named) was the first we ran across the 'dissident' thing. And yes you're right, this manipulation mustn't be allowed to stand. We need to stay on top of it and send each reporter and editor that transgresses by using this word a little love note.

[yorgatron]

5. it's like reading "pravda" nowadays

:wtf:

[stirringstill]

6. Dissident is fine with me

One thinks of Vaclav Havel. I don't mind dissident as a label. It sounds more noble than protester.

[tsuki]

9. Alexander Dubcek and Prague Spring. Doesn't bother me.

[Carolab]

35. No, it is not fine.

They are trying to besmirch millions of patriotic American citizens who are outraged over what is SURELY disenfranchisement of the vote--was even WIDELY ANTICIPATED in various and sundry print and broadcast media stories about e-voting and actual plans by the Justice Department's "Voting Section" to allege fraud and thereby intimidiate and suppress the vote. We do not need to be characterized as doing anything more than demanding that voting rights and laws be upheld in this country. That is NOT dissidence. That is patriotism. Letting them classify us in such a politically volatile way is both dangerous to us and dangerous to what we are trying to achieve. Write and demand retractions. Don't let it slide.

[chalky]

40. If they're trying to besmirch, they're doing a crappy job of it...

And the way you KEEP them at doing a crappy job of it is to take the OWNERSHIP OF THE WORD AWAY FROM THEM.

If they own it, it's a LABEL.
If we own it, it's a TITLE.

I choose to keep them from owning that word.

[verdalaven]

7. Even AAR

called us "dissidents". After having written a letter of complaint to CNN for using that term, no more than ten minutes afterwards, a news announcer on AAR (reading a script)called us dissidents. So it isn't just corporate news sources.

And yes, I wrote AAR a little note voicing my shock.

[MikeNY]

8. welcome to 1984

It was only 20 years off. Have you seen the tenth edition
of the Newspeak Dictionary?

[Mojorabbit]

10. I prefer

concerned citizen....
Mojorabbit

[OKthatsIT]

12. Fancy Pants Language to the rescue!

....Fix that right up here...dont worry, be hAPpY

http://www.news-miner.com/Stories/0,1413,113~7252~2594726,00.html

KICK THEIR LOVIN ASS, FANCY PANTS!

[TimmyBoy]

13. 130,656

<quote>
Without listing specific evidence, the complaint alleges 130,656 votes for Kerry and John Edwards in 36 counties were somehow switched to count for the Bush-Cheney ticket.
</quote>

Anyone know where he gets this number?

[newyawker99]

17. Hi TimmyBoy!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[EMunster]

14. Found in today's papers...

hopefully these are just hold overs..

http://www.contracostatimes.com/mld/cctimes/news/nation/10412809.htm?1c
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-0412140339dec14,1,6578823.story?coll=chi-newsnationworld-hed

[EMunster]

16. another...

http://www.coshoctontribune.com/news/stories/20041214/localnews/1740689.html

[Razorback_Democrat]

18. Maybe we should embrace "dissident"

Call ourselves dissidents

make the word sound GOOD to people

dissidents are those that want justice served and illegal regimes removed!

We supported dissidents in Iraq and in Iran

Dissidents are COOL!

get the word out!

[electropop]

29. Solzhenitzyn, Havel, Mandela

all dissidents, all considered way cool.

[Viva_La_Revolution]

19. To be placed on the wall, above my desk today....

I am not a Dissident!
I am a PATRIOT!
Thank you.

[Shalom]

20. Will They Be Calling Us INSURGENTS in the Future ?

It's not necessarily an insult in the fascist Bushitler regime...

[Razorback_Democrat]

21. the Future? Coulter and others call us "traitors" now!

I'm sure insurgents is already there as well.

[Shalom]

24. American revolutionaries were "INSURGENTS" to King George....

It's not necessarily an insult, like "traitor", although the colonists were actually "traitors" to Great Britain at the time....

[EMunster]

25. big difference if the AP started calling us "Traitors" ...

[Razorback_Democrat]

28. It's only a matter of time with the way things are headed in our country

dissidents, traitors, etc.

We have to get these bozos out of office

[nashville_brook]

22. structure in place to track DISSIDENTS (ohio)

http://www.matrix-at.org/

[seabeyond]

23. i am a dissident. BUSH CHEATED

that alone qualifies me as a dissident. publically or violently dissenting

bush cheated.............publically dissenting.

what can i say, wait until i tell all i meet today, that the media says i am a dissident.

[Cheswick2.0]

26. Good, we should embrace the word and MOCK them

Make it a joke and call ourselves dissidents. That will take the sting away. "Hi, I'm Cheswick. Right wing media would call me a dissident."

[electropop]

27. Dissident is a big step up from conspiracist or tinfoil-hatter n/t

[Angry Girl]

30. Those asking for fair elections are "dissidents"

But what does it mean to be called a dissident? As per Wikipeda at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dissident:

A dissident is a person that actively opposes the established order. The term is most often used to refer to political dissidents, usually against authoritarian regimes.

Hmmm, perhaps CNN et al. were indeed on the money!

We can only wonder now, however, when the next shoe will drop. For the act of labeling honest, concerned American citizens people as dissidents and dissident groups only sets up the truth seekers to be muzzled by the totalitarian tools that are the Patriot Acts.

Full text at
http://angrygirl.blogspirit.com/

[Liberty Belle]

32. heh, heh, heh...here's an idea:

Write and thank AP for exposing the truth about Bush's regime. If we're "dissidents," his administration must be totalitarian--after all, wikipedia says so! ;-) Better yet, DU should issue a press release announcing AP's new terminology and its implications for our new system of government in America. We cc every media outlet, and forward it with a cover letter to AP.

I'll bet they'd drop that word lickety-split!

[pat_k]

31. They define themselves as totalitarians when they call us dissidents

Write to the "journalists" using the term with this speculation:

Do you have any predictions about how long it will be before the regime starts putting the dissidents that are fighting for the principle consent into jail?

Opps. Sorry. Already started. (The couple trying to deliver Conyers' letter to Blackwell.)

[berni_mccoy]

33. Some Famous Dissidents

Jesus Christ
George Washington
Ben Franklin
Thomas Jefferson
Sam Adams
Mahatma Gandhi
Martin Luther King Jr

and many more

And don't forget...

The U.S. gov't (many of the same people in the current administration) liked Sadam Hussein when he was a dissident... we gave him lots of money and weapons (including WMDs) to overthrow the Iraqi government and install a military dictatorship.

The U.S. gov't (many of the same people in the current administration) liked Osama Bin Laden when he was a dissident in Afgahanistan fighting the USSR... we gave him lots of money and weapons.

[chalky]

36. NIP IT IN THE BUD BY EMBRACING THE WORD. n/t

[Blue_In_AK]

34. I love being a dissident

I've been one for about 40 years now. Besides, remember that old saying about sticks and stones?

[Carolab]

37. Anyone who embraces a LABEL

by a fascist group is an IDIOT, not a dissident.

STOP IT!!!

[EMunster]

38. absolute kick for that!

The right just TRASHED US because we were laid back on connotation....

I keep thinking about Hannity tonight, spew out memmes ot our Dear Arnebeck...You lost, get over it...

We can play this game.

[chalky]

39. I'm taking back LIBERAL, and I WON'T let them have DISSIDENT.

Sorry if that offends.

[lonestarnot]

41. Labeling a step in apartied

[mikelewis]

42. My letter to the AP

A dissident's perspective


I find it odd that you have labeled the people who are concerned about the possibility of fraud in the 2004 election as dissidents. My understanding of the term defines us as people who are going against an established order. This is what you are suggesting. We are simply concerned with exposing a crime. In spite of all of the evidence of election fraud, you call us dissidents. What’s next? When we hold up a sign in protest, will we be called insurgents and, should we resist when they try and force us off the streets, our streets, will you then label us as terrorists?



You guys are something else. Where is your honor? Where is the integrity that the journalists are supposed to have? You guys are actively participating in propaganda. You fuck with public perception to suit the goals of a government. How can you even call yourselves journalists? You should be ashamed. But I guess, this is an opinion of dissidence and since a dissident is a member of a radical group that goes against the established order, this time our democracy, my words are meaningless. But guess what, I am also a consumer and as the dissention grows and more and more people begin to listen to me and my ilk, I will never forget or forgive those companies that tried to profit from this scam on the people, and as a consumer, I will make sure that more and more people know how you tried to help the fraud and make sure people start consuming your product less. Here is my “dis” word for your company, disdain.



Sincerely,

Michael Lewis